Mucin-solvent tooth paste



Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE O. VOGT, OI PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. SIG-NOB TO um I. BOW- m, OAKKON'I. BOROUGH, rmmvmm HUGH-SOLVENT TOOTH PASTE.

Io Drawing.

The present invention relates to a tooth paste, and more particularly to a tooth paste which is an efiicient solvent for the mucin plaques which accumulate upon the teeth.

I Tooth pastes as heretofore made may be divided into two general classes, first, the socalled acid pastes, and second, the so-called soap pastes. The acid pastes are made up of a powdered abrasive with some ielling agent,

as gum tragacanth, together with glycerine and water as an excipient.

The soap pastes are made up of a powdered abrasive and neutral soap, together with glycerine and water as an excipient.

All of these tooth pastes de end primarily u on the abrasive action 0 the powdered a rasive for their cleansing action upon the teeth, assisted by the emulsifying or detergent efi'ect of the neutral soap in the case of soap pastes. The soap, while assisting the abrasive powder in cleansing the teeth by the scrubbing action of the tooth brush, 1s not a practicable solvent in itself for the mucin. This is probably due to three causes, first,

because the p value of a neutral soap is too low to cause the conversion of the mucin to soluble sodium mucinate; second, because of the chemical analogy between the negative radicals of the soap and the mucin, the soap being formed from a fatty acid and the mucin from an amino-fatty acid; and third, because of the small solubility of soap in water.

I have discovered that a tooth paste may be made an eflicient solvent of mucin, and

may be so compounded as to remain in stable form. This may be done by incorporating into the tooth paste a salt of an alkali metal of sufiicient alkalinity so that when the paste is used in the mouth, the mucin plaques will be dissolved. I have found, however, that if an attempt be made to incorporate the alkaline salt into the soap tooth pastes now on the market, a paste will be made which will separate into a coagulated mass and free water or water and glycerine. I have found, however, that this may be prevented by substitpting pure glycerine for the water and glycerlne now present in the soap tooth pastes.

As an example of a good tooth paste embodying my invention, I combine 12 ounces glycerine, 1 ounce trisodium phosphate, 2

Application filed August 18, 1928. Serial Io. 188,914.

ounces of solid neutral soap and 6 ounces of precipitated chalk (calcium carbonate).

In compounding the tooth paste, I first dissolve the trisodium phosphate, then add to this mixture, first, the soap and then the chalk, the mixture being heated and thoroughly mixed. The mixture upon cooling forms a jell of about the right consistency for the tooth paste. While the ingredients may be added in various orders, I prefer to dissolve the trisodium phosphate in the gl cerine while the glycerine has its initial fillldit; and before it is thickened by the addition 0 the soap, thus permitting the trisodium phosphate to be quickly and thoroughly dissolved. I prefer next to add the soa before the mixture becomes thickened by the addition of the chalk.

While other salts or mixtures of salts giving sufficient alkalinity may be used, I prefer to use a normal or tertiary hosphate of an alkali metal, preferably triso ium phosphate. The trisodium phosphate when hydrolyzed upon the dissolving of the tooth aste in the saliva or water on the tooth brus or water otherwise present in the mouth, forms a water solution having a p value of about 11.5, which is sufliciently hi h to serve as an ellicient mucin solvent. e trisodium phosphate serves as a reservoir yieldm up furions are ther hydroxyl ions as the h droxy used up in forming the soluble sodium mucinate from the coagulated acid mucin plaques. The p value, however, is suflioiently low so as not to be an irritant to the mucous membranes of the mouth.

While, as above stated, I prefer to use the trisodium phosphate, other salts or mixtures of salts or other alkaline compounds, such for exam le, as hydroxides, me be used which wil give the desired alkalim If an alkalinity somewhat lower than that of trisodium phosphate is desired the trisodium phosphate may be tempered by the addition of a small proportion of disodium phosphate, or sodium car onate, or a mixture of sodium bicarbonate with sodium bicarbonate or other salt less alkaline than sodium carbonate may be employed.

The alkaline salt is preferably such as to give a p value to the water solution formed in the mouth greater than that which would be given by a soa alone in the tooth aste. An alkali metal sa t of even the same al alinityas soapisa more elficient solvent for mucin than soap alone, because it is more soluble than soap. It is not analogous chemically to the organic mucin, and it 18 more mobile or less viscous than soap. Therefore, while I much refer to use a salt, such as trisodium phosp ate, which materially increases the p value of the water solution formed b the paste, I have found that an alkali meta. salt aving an alkalinity approximately that of son tends to increase the mucin solvent propertles of a tooth paste over soap alone.

The soap is used in my paste, as in the resent soap pastes, because of its jelling, athering, emulsifying and detergent efiects,

but in my tooth plaste, I do not depend upon any tendency of t e sea to dissolve mucin because this tendency is altogether too slight to give a practicable effect.

A small amount of sodium chloride, say one-fourth ounce in the roportions given in the formula set forth a ve may be added along with the trisodium phosphate so as to make the solution formed in the mouth saline.

Tooth paste is a compact and commercially convenient form for applying a mucin solvent to the teeth. A mucin solvent such as trisodium phosphate may be applied probably most efliciently in the form of a liquid, but liquid is bulky and is not as conveniently carried as a tooth paste, and the public has shown a preference for paste dentifrices in preference to powders and liquids.

When my tooth paste is dissolved in water which is usually carried to the mouth by dipping the tooth brush in water, the trisodium phosphate, which is present in a relatively concentrated form in the paste, dissolves into a water solution of sufficient dilution to dissolve the mucin plaques from the teeth.

In the case of a soap paste, trisodium hosphate or other alkali metal salt wou d, if water were present to a material extent, tend to cause the soap to become salted out upon standin according to the well known action of salts in salting out soap from water solutions. The amount of water present in the soap tooth pastes now on the market, I have found to be sufficient to permit this salting out action to take place and free water to be Eisent after standing for several months.

is, of course, must be guarded against, since months and even years may elapse between the time they are put on the apothecarys shelves to the time the are sold. While I have found glycerine to the most efiicient and pleasing solvent or excipient agent to prevent the salting out of the soap or other jelling agent, other solvents or excipients may be used in which the saltin out eifect will not take place. Also, while prefer to use soap as the jelling agent, other 1e11- ing agents might be used, such as tr canth arabic or starch glycerite. w h ile I grater to use precipitated chalk as the pol- 1s ing agent or abrasive, other of the well known polishing agents used in tooth pastes and powders may be used, such for example, as tricalcium phos hate or calcium sul hate.

The tooth paste is preferably flavor with the usual essential flavoring OllS employed in dentifrices, such as oil of peppermint, wintergrecn or the like. There may also be added small quantities of mild aromatic antiseptics, such as menthol, thymol, eucal tol or the like, which will impart germici a1 qualities and imlpart a pleasing taste.

Whi e I have described the preferred embodiment of m invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details hereinbefore set forth, but ma be otherwise embodied within the scope o the following claims. I

I claim:

1. A mucin-dissolving tooth paste a ntamin powdered abrasive, soap, glycerine and trisodium phos hate.

2. A mucinissolving tooth paste containing a powdered abrasive, soap, glycerine and a 1101111181 or tertiary phosphate of an alkali meta 3. A mucin-dissolving tooth paste, containing a powdered abrasive, soap, glyeerine and a mucin-dissolvin compoun of an alkali metal which pro uses in water solution a p value greater than that which would be produced by the soap alone.

4. A mucin-dissolving tooth paste containing approximately twelve parts glyoerine, one part trisodium phosphate, two and onehalf parts soap and six parts of a powdered abrasive.

5. The method of making the herein described tooth paste, which consists in addin to gl cerine a mucin-dissolving compound 0 an al ali metal which produces in water solution a p value eater than that which 11 would be produce by soap alone, and dissolving it therein, thereafter adding soap and a powdered abrasive to the mixture, and thorou hly mixing the materials.

6. e method of making the herein de- 115 scribed tooth paste which consists in dissolving trisodium phosphate in glycerine, thereafter adding to t e mixture soap and a powdered abrasive, and thoroughly mixing the materials. 1

7. A mucin-dissolving tooth paste containing a powdered abrasive, soap, a mucin-dissolving compound of an alkali metal which produces in water solution a P value greater than that which would be produced b the 125 soap alone, and an excipient from whic the soap is not salted out.

8. A mucin-dissolving tooth paste containing a powdered abrasive, soap, a normal or tertiary phosphate of an alkali metal which no tion for mucin than the soap alone, and an excipient from which the soap is not salted out.

11. A inucin-dissolving tooth paste containing a powdered abrasive. soap, a mucindissolving compound of an alkali metal having a p value not substantially less than that of the soap but having a greater solvent action for mucin than the soap alone, and glycerine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y CLARENCE C. VOGT.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,691,504.

Granted November 13, 1928, to

CLARENCE C. VOGT.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, word "carbonate" read "bicarbonate", and line 98. for'the word line 97, for the "bicarbonate" read "c arbonate'k and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office Signed and sealed this 11th day of December, A. D. 1928.

(Seal) M. J. Moore, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

tion for mucin than the soap alone, and an excipient from which the soap is not salted out.

11. A inucin-dissolving tooth paste containing a powdered abrasive. soap, a mucindissolving compound of an alkali metal having a p value not substantially less than that of the soap but having a greater solvent action for mucin than the soap alone, and glycerine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y CLARENCE C. VOGT.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,691,504.

Granted November 13, 1928, to

CLARENCE C. VOGT.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, word "carbonate" read "bicarbonate", and line 98. for'the word line 97, for the "bicarbonate" read "c arbonate'k and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office Signed and sealed this 11th day of December, A. D. 1928.

(Seal) M. J. Moore, Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

